Life is full of distractions that make it hard to remember to be eco-conscious, but with conscious effort, you can create habits that last a lifetime. One of the most common ways people waste energy is by leaving the lights on even when they are not in the room. If you are using LEDs, don’t worry, you are already saving tons of energy and turning off your lights won’t save energy. If you use compact fluorescent or incandescent bulbs however, turning out your lights when you leave the room can have a serious impact on the environment and your wallet.

Use this rule of thumb: If you are leaving the room for more than 15 minutes, turn out the light!

Did you know....

• You save 1.2 cents every hour a lightbulb is turned off
• Leaving lights on for an extra 8 hours per day can mean wasting up to $900 a year paying for electricity you aren’t even using
• Powering lightbulbs requires the use of non-renewable energy sources; turning off your lights can help reduce the amount of non-renewable energy being used
• LEDs use 5x less energy than incandescent bulbs